Saturday 9 January 1663/64

Up (my underlip being mightily swelled, I know not how but by overrubbing it, it itching) and to the office, where we sat all the morning, and at noon I home to dinner, and by discourse with my wife thought upon inviting my Lord Sandwich to a dinner shortly. It will cost me at least ten or twelve pounds; but, however, some arguments of prudence I have, which however I shall think again upon before I proceed to that expence. After dinner by coach I carried my wife and Jane to Westminster, leaving her at Mr. Hunt’s, and I to Westminster Hall, and there visited Mrs. Lane, and by appointment went out and met her at the Trumpet, Mrs. Hare’s, but the room being damp we went to the Bell tavern, and there I had her company, but could not do as I used to do (yet nothing but what was honest) … . So I to talk about her having Hawley, she told me flatly no, she could not love him. I took occasion to enquire of Howlett’s daughter, with whom I have a mind to meet a little to see what mettle the young wench is made of, being very pretty, but she tells me she is already betrothed to Mrs. Michell’s son, and she in discourse tells me more, that Mrs. Michell herself had a daughter before marriage, which is now near thirty years old, a thing I could not have believed. Thence leading her to the Hall, I took coach and called my wife and her mayd, and so to the New Exchange, where we bought several things of our pretty Mrs. Dorothy Stacy, a pretty woman, and has the modestest look that ever I saw in my life and manner of speech. Thence called at Tom’s and saw him pretty well again, but has not been currant. So homeward, and called at Ludgate, at Ashwell’s uncle’s, but she was not within, to have spoke to her to have come to dress my wife at the time my Lord dines here. So straight home, calling for Walsingham’s come to dress my wife at the time my Lord dines here. So straight home, calling for Manuals at my bookseller’s to read but not to buy, recommended for a pretty book by Sir W. Warren, whose warrant however I do not much take till I do read it. So home to supper and to bed, my wife not being very well since she came home, being troubled with a fainting fit, which she never yet had before since she was my wife.

Drops off the wife, goes to visit Betty to do as he "used to do," but can't, so talks to her about marrying her off (what is he thinking?) ... she refuses, so he tries to find out about another Betty, because he has "a mind" to test her "mettle" (what is he *thinking*?) ... then, after finding out about Betty 2's prospective mother-in-law's bastard, he leaves, picks up the wife, oogles Mrs. Stacy, then tries to see if he can hire Ashwell to dress his wife when his Lord comes over for an incredibly important and expensive dinner.

Ok, it's off topic I know...but did he or didn't he have Marlowe bumped off?***

Bess' fainting fit...

Sam, have you forgotten the Ware incident?

What a shame things didn't work out with Betty L, given that the chances for a romp with Bess tonight are low.

I wonder if the fainting fit has anything to do with Sam's Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? surprise.

"Lord Sandwich?! To dinner?!! Here?!!!"

"Yes, yes-yes, no...On the moon. Of course here, Bess. And you must do your best to amuse and divert him so as to help return me to his good graces. A little modest flirting is no sin in such a...Bess? Bess?!

Actually she hasn't been well for some time. To be honest I felt a tad anxious reading this and I'm wondering if Pepys had felt the same. Elizabeth doesn't seem to be one for histrionics ("she never yet had [fainted] before since she was my wife"). Though, even so, it may have been of less concern if a woman fainted in those days.

This entry would be a perfect illustration to the old German essay chestnut about "Reality and Appearance".

We can see here Sam's flair for both administration (organizing events and meetings so they mesh well and don't clash) and operation (active knowledge of the ins and outs - so to speak - of a business). The operative knowledge (what pisses women off or pleases them in this case) means he can anticipate conflicts and snafus caused by bad scheduling and lack of preparation.

Where is the anxious summons to Mr. Hollier? I know Sam is capable of demonstrating great concern for Bess' illnesses, and perhaps this entry was written well after the incident proved to be nothing serious so I won't point out he'd have himself in a coach to his doc for a slight case of constipation.

"My underlip being mightily swelled." I wonder if this had some connection with Sams attempt at barbering himself last Wednesday? "This morning I began a practice which I find by the ease I do it with that I shall continue, it saving me money and time; that is, to trimme myself with a razer: which pleases me mightily"

Tom is "pretty well again but has not been currant". I take it "currant" is "current" rather than the fruit. It must, in this context, mean something like "has not been out and about " ( presumably because of his illness).

Correct. The spelling was in flux in Sam's day; it had been "currant" (because it was from OF. corant, curant, modern courant 'running'), but was in the process of being assimilated to Latin currentem. I agree about the apparent meaning, but oddly enough, there's no entry for it in the OED -- it's presumably a nonce metaphorical extension of "6. in general circulation."

re swollen lips: my DIL has just recently suffered this same condition. Hers was caused by an allergic reaction to a substance on the pillowcase, namely, traces of my son's shaving cream. So maybe this is the sheet over the lips problem again, as Mary suggests.